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W. M. FULTUN.'

AUTOMATIC TANK REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.1,1920.

Reisslued Apr. 20,1920.

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W. FULTON. AUTOMATIC TANK REGULATOR APPLKIA TION FILED MAR.1,I9Z0.

Reissued Apr. 20, 1920,

vl ilfilf vllllllflfllflrll UNITED STAT ES PATENT OFFICE,

WESTON M. FULTON, KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR, TO THE FULTON COMPANY, OF KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION MAINE.

AUTOMATIC TANK-REGULATOR.

Specification of Reissued Letters Fatent. Reissued Apr. 20, 1920.

Original No. 1,102,035, dated June 30, 1914, Serial No. 614,059, filed March 13, 1911.

Application for -reissne filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,556.

1' all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WEs'roN M. FULTON,

:a citizen ofthe United States of America, and a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Automatic Tank-Regulators, which invention is fully set forth in the following specification. i

This invention relates toautomatic temperature regulators for controlling the temperature of water and other fluids, heated by steam coils, where the steam 1s controlled by an inlet valve a'ndit has for its ob e'ct the production'of a simple and reliable regi ulator, which is not liable to get out of order, and. which will operate sensitively, to control the temperature within very narrow limits. In regulators of this kind, it has hitherto been the general practice to employ some form of thermostatic device inserted into the fluid whose temperature is to be controlled, and this thermostatic device would operate a small pilot valve, controlling' the admission of compressed air or water to a diaphragm valve, and this diaphragm valve in turncontrolled the supply of steam to the heating coil. Devices of this class are not only very expensive to manufacture, but also are so very complicated that they are frequently out of order. The thermostat usually consists of a rod or strip of metal, whose very minute expansion and contraction in length due to small changes in temperature, furnish such feeble power as to make its operation on the ilot valve very uncertain and unreliable. he numerous valves, including those on the compressed air line, also furnish additional trouble. Themompressed air or Water power' required to actuate the diaphragm valve is also a constant source of expense when these regulators are in use. The present invention obviates all of these difiiculties by eliminating all the auxiliary parts usually employed in tank regulators. and providing a dirfictaktion between the thermostatic memher and; the valve controlling the steam supply; For'this purpose, I introduce into the talik of fluid to be heated a thermosensitive bull) or chamber'that is partly filled with a volatile fluid, such as chloroform, for example. j

I attach to the stem of the valve controlling the supply of steam to the heating coil an expansible and collapsible vessel filled with a liquid, and I connect the bulb or receptacle containing the volatile liquid in the tank with the said expansible and collapsible vessel, by means of a conduit so arranged that the'vapor in said bulb, resultant from the temperature of thewater in the tank, will'act to force liquid through the connecting conduit into the expansible and collapsible vessel, while at the same time the vapor itself is prevented from passing from the bulb to the last-named Ivessel. The said expansible and collapsible vessel is connected to the stem of the steam valve in such Way that the movement of the vessel in collaps-v ing and'expandingwill act to open and close the steam valve, the closing movement due to the expansion of said vessel being against some suitable resistance Whose force can be adjusted, as for example, a lever having'an adjustable Weight mounted thereon. By in suring that, instead of an interchange of the vapor between the thermostatic bulb and the expansible and collapsible vessel, there shall be an interchan e of liquid only, the sensitiveness and quick action of the device is greatly increased, for the reason that the expansible and collapsible vessel (whose movements actuate the steam valve) and the thermostatic, bulb containing the volatile fluid, being exposed to difi'erent temperatures, if vapor were em loyed to transmit the pressure from the bu b to the expansible" nection with a hot water tank and the steam.

pipe leadin to the coil for heating the same; and ig. 3 is a vertical sectlon, parts beingshown in-elevation.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference numerals indicate like parts, 1 Is the tank contalning water or other liquid to be heated, 2 the steam pipe leadiug'to the coils in-said tanln'and 3 is the inlet valve for the steam to the heating coil. Mounted von the casing ofv the valve 3 is a suitable frame 4, and-mounted in this frame is an expansible and collapsible vessel 5 which has secured 'to its rigid upper wall 6 a screwthreaded hub 7,1eading' upward through an opening in the frame 4, and having a nut 8 on the upper end, by means of which it is firmly secured in position. A flanged plun ger 9- is secured to the under wall of the expansible and collapsible vessel 5, and passes downward through a guidelO, forming a part of the; frame 4, which guide merely serves to insure a true rectilinear movement of the plunger 9. Secured to plunger 9 isa piece 11,.which serves to connect said plunger with-the valve stem 12, by means of jam nuts 13. 13. A steel knife edgebcaring 1 is suitably secured to the -part 11 and a similar bearing 18' is securedto an oscillating support 15 mounted at 16 on the frame 4 A lever bar-1'7 has bearing upon the steel knife edge 18 on. the top of said oscillating support and. also on the-steel knife edge 14 of the part 11, said lever bar bein provided with suitable bearing note es or-surfaces for the knife edges 14 and 18, as shown'in the drawings. Mountednpon the lever bar *1-7 is aweight 19 adjustable thereon, 'and provided with a thumb-screw 20, for fixing it in any adjustedposition; I

'21is a hermetically sealed hulb or vaporizing chamber screwed fast into a flange 22, and is connected with the hermetically sealede'xpansible and collapsible motor vessel -5. bfv=means of a small flexible pipe 23. The bulb is partly filled with a volatile fluid'24, -suchas chloroform, and 'the' vessel 5 is entirely filled with the same fluid. A

small flanged union piece 25-is soldered to.

the 'walll fi of the vessel 5, in order to protect flIId StIBDgthGYi the connection of the tube 23 with the wall '6. A similar flanged union piece26Iis usedto strengthen-the connection of tube '28 into the bulb "21, Where the tube 23 enters the Wall 27 of said bulb. For the purpose of readily connecting the regulator 21, 'and a flange 30 having bolt openings therethrongh registering with corresponding bolt opcningsin the flange 22, to which latter flange the bulb 21 is secured.

In installing'the device, the wall of the tank is tapped, and the screw-threadedhub or bushing 28 is inserted therein while separated from-the flange 22a'nd the bu-lh 21. The bu'lb 21'is' 'then inserted through the opening in the bushing 28, and turned so that the open end ;31- of the pipe 23 is di-- rested to the'lower-side of-the bulb 21, the bulb b'eing in horizontal position, as shown in-Fig..2. Whilein this position, the flange 22 and the flan-ge'dhub or boss 28 are con nected' togetherby bolts -For convenlence in installing the bulb, andin order to insure that the open end 31 of the-pipe 23 will alwa-vs be directed toward the lower side of the bulb, any suitable indicating device, as an arrow 35, may be placed upon the flange 22. u

It will be seen that when the liquid in the bulb 21 is heated by the rise i11 teinpe1-atu1-cof the water in the-tank, the vapor that has formed in the bulb above the liquid 21 will have t'stnsjon increased, and will therefoi'e act to' fore'the'liquid through -the pipe-23 into the expansiblie and collapsible vessel 5; thereby I expanding said i vessel, and forcing the lower wall 33 of said vessel downward. thus'closing,'or tending to close, the valve- 3 On the other"haild, when the temperature of the water-in the tank falls, the tension of-the vapor in the bulb 21 above the liquid 24in said bulb will'be'decreased, and the vessel 5 will {be collapsed by the" pressure of the weight IS-trahsmitted through the lever 17 thus forcing'thel'iquid out of said vessel 5 through pipe 23 into the bulb l1.

One of the most importantfeatures in the construction of this regulator is the special trapping means which are provided for preventing vapor from passing from the bulb 21 into the vessel 5 and for insuring that. instead of an interchange of vapor between the bulb and the vessel, there is an interchange of liquid only. If the regulator were arranged to permit an interchange of vapor, instead of fluid only. its action would be'exceed-ingly sluggish for thereason that the vessel'filan'd the'bulb 21. being exposed to'di fl'e'rent temperatures (vessel igenerally beingmuch the colder), there would be a condensation of vapor in the colder of the two chambers, and this would prevent a quick response of the regulator to changes in temperature.

The 'special'means herein referred to for insuring an interchange of liquid between tube 23 is in proper position, with its open end beneath the surface of the liquid. Moreover, by having the tube 23 enter the top or fixed wall of the vessel 5, and attaching the valve stem to the lower or movable wall of said vessel, I provide perfect freedom of movement for the valve stem and avoid-any movement .of the parts ,at thepoint where the attachment of the pipe 23 to the expansible and collapsible vessel occurs, and there'- by avoid any danger of rupture of the pipe or its connections to the expansible and collapsible vessel. Furthermore, by using the flanged bushing 28 for connecting the bulb 21 with the tank 2, and then bolting the.

flange carrying the bulb to the flange of said bushing 28,I obviate the necessity of rotating the bulb or screwing it into the tank, as is the usual practice with other regulators, and I thereby avoid the danger of twisting the pipe 23, with the consequent danger of injuring the pipe or its connections with the bulb. I

By use of the connection piece 11 between the expansiblc and collapsible vessel and the valve stem, I am enabled to adjust the parts by,-means of the jam-nuts 13 and the screw threaded valve stem connectingthe latter to the part 11. y p For the purpose of disconnecting the upper works 'of the regulator from the valve 3, I have provided a jam-nut 3'6, screwthreaded onto the stem 37, projecting upward from the casing of the valve 3. By loosening this jam-nut 36, the upper works of the regulator may be lifted off of the casing of the valve, since the loosening of said jam-nut permits the frame 4 to be entirely freed from the valve and itscasing.

What is claimed is 1. In combination, a hot water tank provided with a valve controlled heat supply conduit, a thermosensitive bulb for containing a volatile liquid and located in said tank, a vibratory vessel filled with liquid, a conduit opening into said vessel and hav ing a trap connection with said bulb. said vessel normally tending to discharge liquid into said conduit and bulb against vapor pressure in said bulb thereby maintaining said conduit filled with liquid, and connections'between said vessel and valve for operating the latter.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a thermoscnsitive bulb partly filled with a volatile liquid and sub-- ject to a heating fluid the flowof which is to be regulated, said bulb being provided with a delivery tube the inner end of which opens near the side wall of the bulb and below the surface of said liquid, a closure for said bulb and means for securing the latter in the wall of said chamber, and a collapsible and expansible vessel filled with a liquid and having one end stationary and connected .to said tube and the other end movable and associated-with valve means controlling supply of said heating fluid.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a thermosensitive bulb partly filled with a volatile liquid and subject to a heating fluid the flow of which is to be regulated, said bulb being provided with a delivery tube the inner end of which is bent. and opens near the side .wall of the bulb and below the surface of said liquid. a closure for said, bulb adapted to support the delivery tube andto be clamped to the wall of the heating chamber and a valve operating expansible and collapsible vessel filled with liquid and connected to said bulb a trap and adapted to be secured in the wall of a tank in a predetermined position, comprising a receptacle for containing a fluid, an end closure for the same having an opening for receiving a tube and provided with a flange, a threaded bushing adapted to be screwed in the wall of the tank and having a flange to which the flange of said closure is adapted to be secured by bolts in a predetermined position.

5. A thermosensitive bulb provided with atrap and adapted to be secured in the wall of a tank in a predetermined position, comprising a fluid receptacle and an end closure for the same having an opening for receiving atube'and provided with a flange and means for securing the flange to the wall of the boiler in said predetermined positionwithout removing the closure from the receptacle.

6. A thermosensitive .bulb adapted to be 7. In combination, a collapsible and extensible vessel adapted to be operated by liquid entering and leaving the same, a thcrmosensitive bulb adapted to supply liquid to operate said vessel, a pipe connection between said bulb and vessel' through which said liquid is conducted, said pipe having an opening at the lowest part of saidbulb to which liquid"gravitates, and

means exterior to the bulb for indicating the discharge position of said pipe to insure in terchangc of liquid only between sa'id'bulb and vessel.

8. In combination, a hot water-tank pro-v vided with a valve controlled heat supply conduit,-a thermosensitive bulb for containing a volatile liquid and located in said tanki a vibratory vessel filled with liquid, an elongated flexible exterior conduit openinginto said vessel' and having a' trap connection with said bulb, said vessel normally tending to discharge liquid into said conduit and bulb against vapor pressure in said bulb thereby maintaining said conduit filled with. liquid, and connections between said vessel and valve for operating the latter.

.9. In combination, a hot water tank pro vided with a valve controlled 'heat supply conduit, a thermosensitive bulb for containing'a volatile liquid and located in said tank, a vibratoryv vessel filled with liquid, an exterior flexibleconnecting conduit opening into said vessel and 'having atrap connection with said bulb so arranged that, the vapor in said'biilbwill act to force liquid into the expansible and collapsible vessel while at the same time the vapor itself is.

prevented from passing from the bulb to the said vessel, said vessel normally tending to discharge liquid into said conduit and bulbagainst vapor pressure in said bulb thereby maintaining said conduit filled with liquid, and connections between said vessel and valve for operating the latter.

10. In combination, a hot'wa ter tanli provided with a valve controlled heat supply conduit, a thermosensitive bulb for containing a volatile liquid and located-in said t'ank, a'vibratory vessel filled with liquid, an exterior flexible connecting conduit opening into said vessel and having a trap. connection with said bulb, said vessel normally tending to discharge liquid into said conduit and bulb against vapor pressure in said bulb thereby maintaining said conduit filled with liquid, and connections between said vessel and valve for operating the latter.

11. In combination, a hot water tank pro vided with a valve controlled heat supply 'onduit,'a thermosensitive bulb for containinga volatile liquid and located in said tank,

a relatively-cool vibratory vessel filled with specification.

WESTON M. FULTON. 

